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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

FRANKLIN K. LANE. SECRETARY 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 

STEPHEN T. MATHER. DIRECTOR 



NATIONAL PARKS AND 
MONUMENTS 



ADDRESS : By HERBERT W-GLEASQN 

DELIVEREb .1 u'^ NATIONAL PARKS CONFERENCE 
AT WASHINGTON, D. C. JANUARY 3, 1917 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1917 



ADDRESS ON NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 

By Herbert W. Gleason. 

It has been my good fortune to visit all of the more prominent 
national parks of the country, in many cases repeatedly, and also 
many of the national monuments. From more than a thousand pho- 
tographs taken on these various trips a brief selection has been made 
for presentation on this occasion, the object being, not to give a 
comprehensive view of the scenic beauty of the national parks, which 
would take many evenings, but simply to indicate here and there 
some of the more striking features. 

The principal national parks of the country fall readily into two 
divisions, geographically ; first, those which are found along the 
range of the Rocky Mountains, and secondly, those which are found 
on the Pacific slope. Beginning with the first division, Yellowstone 
Park naturallj^ claims chief attei.rion, not only because it Is the 
largest of all the parks and was the first to be established, but also be- 
cause it possesses many features which are absolutely unique. In- 
deed, in the minds of many people it is the only national park which 
we possess-^-the.y have never heard of any others. 

On the splendid arch of basaltic rock which stands at the northern 
entrance to Yellowstone Park there has been engraved the legend: 
" For the benefit and enjoyment of the people," a sentiment which 
may well serve as the text for any discourse upon our national 
parks, and also as an appropriate rallying cry in all efforts for their 
protection and perpetuation. Yellowstone Park w^ould deserve its es- 
tablishment if only on account of the beauty of its ordinary features 
of mountain, lake, and river ; but it has worthily commanded world- 
wide attention because of the wonderful variety and splendor of its 
volcanic phenomena. Prominent among these are the remarkable 
terraces and travertine deposits at the Mammoth Hot Springs. 
Here the " Minerva " Terrace, " Cleopatra " Terrace, " Jupiter " 
Terrace, and many similar formations constitute an assemblage of 
extraordinary interest, while the manifold rainbow tints of the 
travertine are exquisitely beautiful. So with regard to the multi- 
tude of hot springs and boiling pools — the " Beryl," " Punch Bowl," 
"Morning Glory," "Oyster." "Emerald," etc. — one finds here in- 
finite variety in form and color, as well as never-ceasing charm. But 
Yellowstone Park is famous more especially for its geysers — those 

22313—17 3 



4 NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 

relics of old-time volcanic activity so startling in their habit and so 
mysterious, at first sight, in their operation. No other locality in 
the world equals the Yellowstone in the number, variety, and mag- 
nificent display of its geysers. It is worth a long journey just to 
behold a single eruption of " Old Faithful." 

Every visitor to Yellowstone Park notes with delight the sur- 
prising tameness of the wild animals. The bear, deer, elk, antelope, 
squirrels, marmots, and even the birds evince a confidence in man 
Avhich speaks volumes in favor of the policy of protection which 
has been accorded to all wild animals in the park, and it is a welcome 
fact that the same policy in the case of other parks is producing the 
same happy result. 

The climax of beauty in Yellowstone Park is found in the Grand 
Canyon of the Yellowstone. Here on the walls of this canyon nature 
seems to have exhausted her palette of colors. Such brilliancy is 
found nowhere else on earth. As Enos Mills happily says, it is 
"lined with the sunset." Standing on Lookout Point, facing the 
Great Falls, one is almost carried away with the supernal beauty 
and fancies himself suddenly transported to another world. No 
wonder that more than one skilled artist, seeking to reproduce the 
scene, has dropped his brush in utter despair. 

The second largest park along the crest of the Rockies is Glacier 
Park in Montana, so called because of the fact that within its bor- 
ders are found more than 60 living glaciers. These glaciers, how- 
ever, are all small and do not compare with the glaciers in Mount 
Rainier National Park, or even Avith those in Mount Olympus Na- 
tional Monument. But Glacier Park excels in other features, espe- 
cially its mountain lakes, many of which surpass in beauty those of 
any other section of the country. At the western entrance to the 
park lies Lake Benton, a superb sheet of water 10 miles long, and 
affording glorious views of the surrounding mountains. Corre- 
sponding to this, at the eastern entrance, is Lake St. Marys, also 
about 10 miles long, from whose shores there rise abruptly stupen- 
dous mountain peaks, giving views of rare sublimity. St. Marys is 
always beautiful, even when the storm clouds gather and the thunder 
rolls and the winds lash its surface in fury. One may spend many 
days of unalloyed delight by its shores. 

And St. Marys Camp is an admirable base from which to make 
excursions to other points of interest. Among these the trip to 
Lake McDermott is especially popular. Here, close by the Con- 
tinental Divide, there nestles an alpine gem of the first water. 
Rarely can one find a combination of mountain, lake, glacier, and 
forest scenery so commandingly beautiful. And from Lake Mc- 
Dermott. too. various side trips can be taken Avhich are highly re- 
warding. One of the most enjoyable of these is that which follows 



NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 5 

a mountain torrent up to its source in Iceberg Lake. Here, in a 
glacial cirque at the foot of great cliffs which rise sheer for 2,000 
feet and more, lies a glacier whose ice is continually breaking off 
into miniature icebergs which float about the lake. Rather a chilly 
locality, one would say, for wild flowers to choose as a home, yet 
upon the very borders of this icy pool there flourishes a host of 
brilliant flowers — spirea, asters, harebells, geranium, elk grass, 
painted brush, etc. — a jovial company. 

Return to St. Marys Lake may be made over Piegan Pass, a 
wonderful trip of some 22 miles, terminating at Going-to-the-Sun 
Camp, where the surrounding scenery is among the grandest in 
the entire park. The mountains, instead of being named " Mount 
Jones," " Mount Smith," etc., are named after old-time Indian 
chiefs or to commemorate Indian legends. " Red Eagle." " Little 
Chief," "Almost-a-Dog," "Single Shot," " Siyeh," "Going-to-the- 
Sun " are some of these. From St. Marys the trail leads to Gun- 
sight Lake, with side trips to Blackfeet Glacier. Pumpelly Glacier, 
etc., and then over Gunsight Pass and on to Lake McDonald, pass- 
ing Sperry Glacier on the way. The northern portion of the park, 
which, however, is reached with some difficulty at present on account 
of the scarcity of good trails, abounds in alpine scenery of the most 
rugged and picturesque type. 

The Rocky Mountain National Park, one of the latest to be estab- 
lished, is located in the northern part of Colorado and includes 
some of the most impressive and strikingly beautiful scenery of 
the whole Rocky Mountain Range, centering about Longs Peak 
(altitude, 14,256 feet). The park is notable for its easy accessi- 
bility, being within a few hours' trip from Denver either by train 
or automobile. The western entrance is at Grand Lake, a delight- 
ful summer resort, and the eastern entrance is by way of the wind- 
ing river canyons, fascinating in their wild beauty, which lead 
to Estes Park, a region long famous for its many attractions as a 
summer home. Estes Park, while not within the actual bounds 
of the national park, is yet an essential portion of the park, as it 
forms the chief starting point and base of supplies for all excur- 
sions in the park proper. One might easily spend a month in Estes 
Park and enjoy a new excursion almost every day. Among these 
trips may be mentioned the following: Up Black Canyon to Ilallett 
Glacier on Hagues Peak ; by way of the neAV Fall River road to 
Specimen Mountain and over the Continental Divide at Milner 
Pass; also over the divide by way of Flattop Mountain and down 
to Grand Lake; following the trail from Moraine Park up to Fern 
Lake and still higher to Lake Odessa; another trail to Loch Vale, 
Glacier Gorge, and Taylor Glacier; climbing to the summit of Lily 
Mountain, the Twin Sisters, Estes Cone, etc. 



6 NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 

But the crowning excursion in Kocky Mountain Park, for those 
who are competent to undertake it, is the ascent of Longs Peak. 
This is usually made from Longs Peak Inn, the home of Mr. Enos 
Mills, who has rightly been termed " the father of Rocky Mountain 
Park" because of his long and persistent devotion to its interests. 
Under ordinary conditions the climb can be made without danger 
and with no especial difficulty, good muscle, steady nerves, plenty of 
" wind," and a fair degree of gymnastic ability being the require- 
ments. After leaving timber line the surrounding country opens up 
in truly magnificent style, and on reaching the summit the view in 
every direction is sublime in the extreme. 

Wild animal life in Rocky Mountain Park is peculiarly interesting, 
there being a number of bands of mountain sheep within the park, 
while everywhere one finds abundant opportunity to observe the 
habits of the beaver. As to wild flowers, the number is almost count- 
less, and the midsummer display is beautiful beyond expression. 

Colorado is fortunate in possessing still another national park, 
situated in the extreme southwestern corner of the State — Mesa 
Verde National Park. This park was created for the purpose of pre- 
sf^rving a most interesting series of prehistoric cliff dwellings which 
were discovered a few years ago in some of the canyons of Mesa 
Verde. It i;: a decidedly novel experience to ride 30 miles to the sum- 
mit of this mesa, and then, on coming to the rim of one of the can- 
yons, without having previously seen a sign of human habitation, 
suddenly discover, halfway down the perpendicular wall of the can- 
yon, a whole village of stone houses sheltered within a great cave. 
And it is yet more noveL on descending the steep trail leading to the 
cave, to explore one of these community dwellings, to note the plan 
upon which it is built, the excellence of the masonry — far surpassing 
that of present-day Indians — the peculiar forms of doorw\iys and 
w^indows, the fireplaces, the curious underground kivas or ceremonial 
chambers, the attempts at frescoed walls in places, the finger prints 
of women and children made in the fresh adobe mortar when the 
stones were first put in place, the deep grooves in the solid rock 
where the men sharpened their stone axes, for these structures were 
built in the Stone Age when tools of metal were unknown. These 
grooves are pathetic, likewise the rough scarf marks still to be seen 
on the ends of beams used for supporting the second and third 
stories of the dwellings. Who these cliff dwellers were, where they 
came from, how long they lived here, where they went to ; these are 
problems in archaeology which are far from being solved. Three of 
the principal groups of buildings, the Cliff Palace, the Sprucetree 
House, and the Balcony House have been put in excellent repair, 
under Government direction, and ^nd fair to last for still another 
indefinite period. 



NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 7 

The people who formerl}^ dwelt here have left abundant evidences, 
not merely of their skill in masonry, but in the making of pottery 
and fabrics. They possessed also a considerable artistic sense for 
a rude people, for their implements and vessels of earthenware are 
profusely ornamented. An astonishing fact, hard to be explained, 
is that some of their designs duplicate early Christian and even 
ancient Greek and Egyptian patterns. 

But Mesa Verde is not the only national park devoted to the pres- 
ervation of antiquities. Casa Grande National Park, in southern 
Arizona, includes what is probably the most remarkable structure 
on this continent— a great stone house of singular construction and 
use unknown, so ancient that when it was first discovered by Spanish 
explorers in the early part of the sixteenth century it was then an 
antique ruin, and among the native tribes of the region there was no 
shadow of tradition respecting its character or history. Monte- 
zuma's Castle and the Tonto Ruins, also in Arizona, are included 
among the national monuments, both preserving excellent specimens 
of the cliif -dweller's work. Of similar character are the Navajo and 
Walnut Canj^on Monuments, also in Arizona. In February, 1916, 
the Bandelier National Monument, in the Rio Grande Valley, 
N. Mex., was created. Within an area of 18,000 acres there ara in- 
cluded a large number of cavate dwellings which have exceptional 
archaeological interest. It is piupv^oe*^ to *^xtend this area farther 
to the north so as to include the remarkable Puye Mesa, the whole 
to be called the National Park of the Cliff Cities. Still another 
region of fascinating interest along the same line is the Canyon de 
Chelly, in the Navajo Reservation, where are found a series of cliff 
dwellings in the red sandstone walls of a box canyon, which in itself 
possesses extraordinary beauty. This canyon is not yet even a 
national monument, but measures have been taken looking to its 
establishment as such. 

Coming next to the national parks on the Pacific slope, the first 
to engage attention is the Mount Rainier National Park in the State 
of Washington. The crowning feature of this park is, of course, 
Mount Rainier, the highest mountain on the Pacific coast, and one 
of the most majestic peaks to be found anywhere in the world, for 
the entire altitude of the mountain (14,408 feet) can be seen from 
sea level. The glacier system of Mount Rainier is immense, cover- 
ing 48 square miles and including 28 distinct glaciers, some of which 
are of enormous size. The mountain also presents many interesting 
evidences of its ancient volcanic activity. The ascent of the moun- 
tain is frequently made and proves a most inspiring experience. 
Ijike a diamond in a setting of emeralds, Mount Rainier is surrounded 
by a number of most charming natural parks, in which the display 
of wild flowers, in their abundance, variety, novelty, and brilliancy, 



8 NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 

is quite on a par with the magnificent aspect of the mountain. High 
up on the mountain slopes one may sometimes meet with a herd of 
wild goats, also an occasional flock of ptarmigan — that bird of arctic 
habits which apparently loves to dwell amid perpetual snow. 

But Mount Eainier was not always the highest mountain on the 
Pacific coast. In prehistoric times another mountain in southern 
Oregon towered above Mount Eainier. But this mountain, which 
was a mighty volcano like Rainier, met with a sad catastrophe one 
day. Either the whole top of the mountain was blown off in some 
terrific explosion or else the mountain swallowed itself, so to speak, 
the latter being the generally accepted theory of geologists. What- 
ever the fact was, we find to-day an immense caldera occupying the 
highest level of the mountain, and within this great crater there is 
a lake, 6 miles in diameter and with a maximum depth of 2,000 feet, 
of indescribable beauty. This lake is in the center of Crater Lake 
National Park — one of the most interesting and beautiful of all our 
national parks. The lake itself — a deep ultramarine blue in color, 
the steep walls inclosing it which rise in places to a height of 2,000 
feet above the lake, the glowing tints of copper and sulphur and 
amethyst which the volcanic rock exhibits here and there, the grace- 
ful drspery of the mountain hemlocks both within and wiihout the 
crater walls, the quaint "Wizard Island" which was upheaved after 
the major cataclysm, T;.^ i" 'ehborihg srlow-crowned peaks — all these 
combine to make a picture which the beholder will ever remember 
with utmost delight. 

California rejoices in possessing no less than four national parks, 
as well as several national monuments Entering the State from the 
north, we first come to the Lassen Volcanic National Park, created 
in the summer of 1916, which contains, among other interesting vol- 
canic phenomena, Lassen Peak (10,465 feet altitude), which has 
become widely famous of late on account of its awakening from a 
long slumber and indulging in a prolonged series of spectacular 
rireworks. 

Yosemite National Park is surpassed in size only by the Yellow- 
stone and Glacier Parks. Many people confuse Yosemite Valley 
Avith Yosemite Park. The valley is included within the park, but 
only as a single feature, the area of the valley being only about 
8 square miles, while the area of the park is 1,125 square miles. 
Still, even if the valley stood absolutely alone, it would be well 
worthy of high distinction as a national park. For within this 
limited compass it seems almost as if nature had sought to bring 
together the most magnificent and graceful specimens of her handi- 
work. Yosemite Valley has been often described and illustrated, 
but in spite of this every visitor on entering the valley is met 
Avith a revelation of grandeur and beauty such as he had never 
before conceived. And the vision never palls. One may spend 



NATIOISTAL PAEKS AND MONUMENTS. 9 

weeks in the valley ; he may visit it repeatedly, yet the wonder and 
the glory of it are ever fresh and awe compelling. El Capitan, Cathe- 
dral Eocks, Half Dome, Mirror Lake, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, 
Yosemite Fall, Bridal Veil — these are names familiar to a multitude 
of people through verbal descriptions and pictorial reproduction, 
but only those who have seen the reality can begin to appreciate 
what Yosemite Valley means. 

But having seen Yosemite Valley one should by all means under- 
take a tour of Yosemite Park. Tuolumne Meadows, some 30 miles 
north of the valley, is now easily reached either by trail or auto- 
mobile road and forms an admirable base from which to explore a 
large section of the High Sierra as well as to visit many localities 
of notable character in the northern portion of the park. Mount 
Lyell, Mount Dana, Kuna Crest, Tioga Lake, Mono Pass, McClure 
Glacier, Dog Lake, Conness Peak, Piute Mountain, Rodgers Lake, 
Matterhorn Canyon, Kerrick Canyon, Tilden Lake — these are only 
a few names. There is the marvelous Grand Canyon of the 
Tuolumne, a stupendous gorge, beginning shortly below the 
Tuolumne Meadows and extending westerly for nearly 25 miles, 
carved out of the mountain mass by an ancient glacier, with walls 
rising sheer from 4,000 to 5,000 feet high, while through the nar- 
row canyon there courses the Tuolumne River in one continual suc- 
cession of glorious cascades and waterfalls. Difficult of access as 
yet — for there is no trail except through a small portion of the 
canyon — it rewards the explorer with some of the most magnificent 
canyon scenery on the American Continent. 

At the lower end of the Tuolumne Canyon lies Hetch Hetchy 
Valley, in many ways a counterpart of Yosemite Valley, yet with 
a marked picturesque quality of its own. Those of us who have 
seen Hetch Hetchy in all its primitive beauty can not help a feel- 
ing of sadness in view of the fact that the valley has been given 
to San Francisco for an artificial water reservoir. 

The Sequoia and General Grant National Parks were established 
for the purpose of conserving some of the most notable groves of 
that magnificent tree, the Sequoia gigantea^ relic of an earlier 
geologic age, found only in California, and commanding the high- 
est interest on account of its immense size, its majestic dignity, and 
its hoary antiquity. Unquestionably, these trees are the largest 
and the oldest of all living things. Man}^ of them are over 300 
feet high, with a trunk diameter at base of from 30 to 40 feet, 
and an age dating back certainly 5,000 years and more. Few ob- 
jects in all the outdoor world are worthy of such heartfelt rever- 
ence. 

It is proposed to extend the boundaries of the Sequoia Park to 
include a region of mountainous country along the crest of the 



10 NATIONAL PABKS AND MONUMENTS. 

Southern Sierra and its western slope drained by the Kings River 
and its tributaries. If this shall be done, the new park will bring 
under national protection Mount Whitney (the highest elevation 
within the United States proper), Mount Williamson, Mount Tyn- 
dall, the famous Kings River Canyon, Tehipite Valley, and many 
other mountains and valleys of great scenic interest. 

Brief reference may be made in closing to some of the more 
notable national monuments, which are to all intents and pur- 
poses national parks, though occupying a somewhat different status 
and being created b}^ presidential proclamation instead of a specific 
act of Congress. 

The Devils Postpile, in California, is one of the most remarkable 
collection of hexagonal basaltic rock columns to be found anywhere 
in the world. The Devils Tower, in Wyoming, is a closely allied 
formation, rising to a height of more than 1,200 feet above the sur- 
rounding plain. The Colorado Monument and the Wheeling Monu- 
ment, both in Colorado, present some very striking results of erosion 
in the form of lofty monoliths and curiously carved and colored 
cliffs. The Natural Bridges Monument, in southern Utah, includes 
three of the largest and most striking natural rock bridges known 
anywhere. A similar formation is the Rainbow Bridge Monument, 
also in Utah, the height of which is 309 feet and the span 278 feet. 
The Petrified Forest Monument, in Arizona, includes three areas 
w^here are found the silicified remains of ancient coniferous trees, of 
great interest and beauty. Mount Olympus Monument, in the north- 
western corner of Washington, is a mountain area of superb charac- 
ter and unusual scientific interest, its extensive glacier system being 
particularly notable. A plan is on foot to give this region the full 
status of a national park, which it amply deserves. The Sieur de 
Monts Monument, on Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine, a 
locality of historical interest and scenic beauty, is the only national 
park or monument yet created east of the Mississippi. 

There are many grand canyons in the United States, but only one 
Grand Canyon ; and by far the greatest, both in area and importance, 
of all the national monuments is the Grand Canyon of Arizona. No 
words can describe the aAvful majesty and the sublime beauty of this 
stupendous chasm. As Prof. Van Dyke has said, " Instead of its 
being, as is sometimes stated, the eighth wonder of the world, it is 
the first wonder of the world." A bill is now before Congress, with 
good prospect of its being passed, to make the Grand Canyon a full- 
fledged national park, and thus to preserve for all coming genera- 
tions, under full governmental control and protection, this master- 
piece of nature's production. 

The Harriman Fiord in Alaska, an arm of Prince William Sound, 
is a proposed national monument of exceptional interest and attrac- 



NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 11 

tiveness. Only 12 miles long and a mile or so in width, it is an 
amphitheater of sublimity tremendously impressive and exquisitely 
beautiful. On all sides rise lofty mountains whose summits pierce 
the clouds at altitudes varying from eight to eleven thousand feet 
above sea level. Five huge glaciers descend directly into the fiord, 
discharging icebergs with roars of thunder, while many other 
glaciers lie on the higher slopes, the azure hues of their pinnacles and 
crevasses glistening in the sunlight. Few white men have ever seen 
this wonderful fiord, but in coming days, with the opening up of 
the new governmental railway, it is certain to become widely known 
and prized as one of our finest scenic assets in all Alaska. 

One other national monument should be mentioned, not merely for 
its intrinsic interest, but because it honors the name of one who de- 
voted his life, in a very real and most effective way, to the welfare 
of our national parks — the Muir Woods of California. This is a 
tract of primitive redwood forest on the slopes of Mount Tamalpais, 
across the bay from San Francisco, which was deeded to the Gov- 
ernment by Hon. William Kent, a Member of Congress, and named 
after John Muir, the eminent naturalist and writer, in recognition 
of his efforts to awaken interest in the wonder and glory of the out- 
door world. A day spent with Mr. Muir himself in the Muir Woods 
was one never to be forgotten. Utterly oblivious of the fact that any 
special honor was conferred upon him in connection with the park, 
he Avas continuall}^ intent upon discovering new forms of beauty in 
the trees or shrubs or vines or flowers, all the time unfolding from 
his vast store of information facts of deep interest pertaining to 
the varied features of the park. And this was characteristic of his 
entire life. He gave himself in whole-souled enthusiasm to the study 
of nature's methods and mysteries, not solely for his own satisfaction, 
but that he might interpret them to others and thus reveal something 
of their wonder, their beauty, and their spiritual significance. To 
quote a word of tribute from one who knew him well :^ 

His was the vibrant voice that saug of God's manifestation in the harmonies 
and beauties of nature. His was the hand that pointed the way to the clear 
and high places of earth. His were the feet that beat paths for others to fol- 
low, leading to shrines in the forest or meadow, on the glacier or cliff of rocks, 
by the river's edge, or on the mountain's summit. His name will endure, not 
alone because it is written upon the Muir Glacier of Alaska or among the giant 
Sequoias of the Muir Woods in California, but because it is written in letters 
of sincere love upon the hearts of thousands whose lives his own has sweetened 
and brightened for all time. 

1 Prof. E. S. Meany, of the University of Washington. 

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